This thesis aims to show how authoritarian regimes opt for using small-scale violence against minority out-groups to counteract any regime instability. Essentially it argues that authoritarian...Show moreThis thesis aims to show how authoritarian regimes opt for using small-scale violence against minority out-groups to counteract any regime instability. Essentially it argues that authoritarian leaders change out-group treatment according to the needs of their stability. It is a within-case study, focused on the Coptic christian minority in Egypt. It traces the treatment of Copts under Sadat and under Mubarak. The thesis found that the biggest need or factor in determining out-group treatment is domestic legitimacy. By bringing various theories on authoritarian regimes and minority treatment together, this thesis proposes the stoking fire theory. By allowing violence to be perpetrated against minority groups, regimes stoke a small fire and keep it burning for a regime's own survival. It is the first step in arguing that low-level violence, perpetrated by state and citizen, is used for strategic purposes, as others have argued for mass violence. The insights in the nexus between the three factors (domestic legitimacy, an out-groups refusal to be co-opted and external support) for out-group treatment can help foreign policy makers in determining finding the best timing to pressure regimes for democratization, if that is truly their pursuit, and when to support an out-group without becoming the topic of rumored ‘evil’ relations between out-group and democratic supporter. More importantly, by understanding how their position is used by autocrats, out-groups may better understand their predicament at a given time. Understanding their behavior and the changing needs of an authoritarian regime, they may be better able to see increased violence coming, giving them the chance to defend themselves against it.Show less
